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Styles Of Play
This page lists some of the yo-yo styles you will come across. This list is not complete but covers all of the most common styles and a few of the more outrageous ones. This page should serve to give you ideas of new ways to play. It should be noted that some of these styles blur, and so some people would dispute as to whether they are a separate style (for example, some people consider sliding counterweight to be part of freehand). What makes a style of play A style of play should not be confused with a trick category, such as grinds. A style of play requires there to be something different about the equipment that allows new tricks to be performed. This is why we have classified sliding counterweight as different to freehand because the setup is different and so different tricks can be done. Recognised styles At the world yo-yo contest five styles are recognised as categories. These are A, AA, AAA, freehand and offstring. =Styles= Zero A Also known as '''0A'.'' Loop based tricks with a single yo-yo. Zero A play consists of continuous loops, hops, and shoot the moons. Zero A is where most people start when they begin the style AA, and although Zero A is a relatively simple style, most people decide to practice A. Looping yo-yo's usually are a modified or classic shape, and are usually weighted in the center. Those yo-yos used among popular players consist of the Yomega Raider and Fireball (usually modified), the YoYoJam Sunset Trajectory,the Duncan Speed Beetle, the Duncan Ballistic and the Relic, as well as many others from various other companies. No contest has been ever held for Zero A. 1/2 A This is a style of play where only one half of the yoyo is used. It was created by Joshua Yee in 1999 but has also been seen once done back in 2000 by Ryan Lai and in 2005 by Dave Poyzer This is a very difficult style and can only be performed with certain yoyos. (Yoyojams work best for this kind of trick). A Also known as '''single A' and 1A.'' String tricks with a single yo-yo. The yo-yo tends to be unresponsive (at advanced levels of play) to allow complicated string tricks to be performed. Single A is what most people think of when you talk about yo-yoing. This style is also almost always the first style yo-yoers learn due to it being the most well known and the easiest to start. 1.5A String tricks where you use a yo-yo in one hand and a string in theother. This creates many different possibilities for whips and string and slack tricks. The most notable player of this style is Magikai from the oyonation weboards. AA Also known as '''double A', 2A and two-handed yo-yoing'' A style based on the use of two looping yo-yos, one in each hand. High-level AA play consists of various series of continuous regenerations, such as loops, hops, moons, punches, stalls, etc. Also performed are hundreds of different forms of around-the-worlds and other circular motions with the yo-yo. While combining loops and continuous circles, wraps can be done. Another growing part of AA (also possible in AAA) is based on the tangler trick, where the strings of the yo-yo cross, spin around the "knot", and are then uncrossed. Generally the yo-yos used for AA are based on either a modified or a classic shape. Those yo-yos used among popular players consist of the Yomega Raider and Fireball (usually modified), the YoYoJam Sunset Trajectory,the Duncan Speed Beetle, the Duncan Ballistic and the Relic, as well as many others from various other companies. AAA Also known as '''triple A' and 3A.'' String (aka Long Spin) tricks with two yo-yos. Popularized and pioneered by Mark McBride, the first modern Triple A trick appeared in Fiend Magazine and was called Velvet Rolls. The different mounts are referred to as houses (e.g. "Kink House"). Photos from as early as the late 1950's show early yo-yo demonstrators performing very basic Triple A tricks, such as a Sleeper with one hand, and a Trapeze with the other. While Triple A as a concept has existed for many years, it was not until the release of Velvet Rolls that development began on what is currently considered Triple A. Offstring Also known as '''OS' and 4A.'' Where the yo-yo is not attached to the string, but the string is tied to the finger. See the offstring article. Freehand Also known as '''FH', counterweight and 5A.'' Where a weight (typically a casino die or small ball) is attached to the end of the yo-yo string that would otherwise be attached to the finger. The yo-yo itself is attached to the string in the normal manner. Developed in 1999 by Steve Brown, freehand is considered to be the fastest-growing style of yo-yo play, as well as one of the most exciting to watch, due mainly to the wide diversity of styles from one 5A player to the next. Manufacturing of a yo-yo with a fixed or sliding counterweight is covered under United States Patent #6,371,824. Freehand Offstring Also known as '''9A' (5A plus 4A), and offhand.'' A counterweight is attached to the string, but the yo-yo is left unattached. This allows a great variety of tricks to be performed. Notable players of this style include Ryan Lai. Sliding Counterweight Also known as '''astro' due to its similarity with the astrojax skill toy.'' Originally called Astro Crap by its key innovator Seth Peterson due to the fact that few yo-yoers particularly like astrojax, but the name was later shorted to astro. It is similar to freehand, but the counterweight is free to slide along the length of the string. Conceived in 1999 by Chris Neff, Sliding Counterweight has gained popularity among freehand players in recent years due to the development of additional tricks and its mysterious "re-naming", largely attributed to Seth Peterson and Doctor Popular. Both players are considered the pioneers of this style, as it was their tricks that have popularized it. Doubles Invented by Steve Brown in early 1999, but also developed and popularized by Tommy Gun, this involves putting two yo-yos on one hand. Typically one goes on your ring finger, and the other on your pointer finger. This is to keep the yo-yos from hitting each other too much. Tricks were shown in YoYoWorld Magazine issue #3 released winter of 1999. Tricks also appeared as single videos on his (old) site, as well as in Chicago Crew clip videos. Some tricks include Teamwork, Yellow Pages, Double Boing, Trapeze Entanglement, and Trapeze Traverser. While it has potential, this style really never caught on possibly because of the difficulty and aggravation of having less control over each yo-yo. AAA is quite similar so most people do that instead. Soloham A style of play invented by Takahiko Hasegawa that involves two offstring yo-yos used simultaneously on a single string (although a second string is used for starting and finishing manoeuvres). A page describing this technique can be found here on YET. Hydra Two yo-yos are attached at opposite ends of a single string. The single string is modified so there is a normal loop at both ends instead of a loop at one and a slipknot at the other. Doc Pop Style Discussed on Radio Kwyjibo. Doctor Popular has developed many novel techniques, including using a paper-clip on the yo-yo end of the string while playing off-string. Using this light counterweight allowed him to return the yo-yo one-handed. This was done before the 1 handed whip-like regenerations developed by the Japanese offstring champion (Eiji?). Loaf Style Developed by John-Bot. It's a style of one-handed yo-yoing mostly inside a gunslinger (split bottom) mount. It can best be described as one-handed tiny yo-yo tricks. The Boingy boingy is a probably the most well known trick from this style. Moebius Invented by the Doctor Popular, it involves Single A tricks done inside the expanded slipknot loop of string that would usually go around your finger. The string is not attached to your finger. The style, also known as Moebius, is named after the theoretical physics concept known as a Moebius Loop. FreeThrowing A style recently shown by the Pretty Boy Spinners (PBS). Similar to freehand play, except that you throw the yo-yo and counter-weight in order to interact with your environment. Not recommended around living things. This style was originally created by Chris Neff. Take a look at the Duncan How to be a Player Vol. 1 video. Flying Eel Also known as '''Slippery Eel' or offhand.'' This style is similar to freehand, but without the counterweight. Technique mostly involves using the weight of the yo-yo to bring the string around. Rarely done today. It was popular among members of Team High Performance in 1998, and inadvertently led to the development of freehand by Steve Brown, due to his inability to successfully perform the Flying Eel tricks he was creating. The complicated nature of his creations necessitated some kind of stopper on the end of the string, and it was through experimentation with different beads and attachments that freehand was created. Washing Machine Tricks performed by throwing the yo-yo as you would in A, but then unwinding the string and popping the yo-yo off the string. You then perform offstring style trick before putting the yo-yo back in the loop and returning it. Invented by Doctor Popular. Double D Also known as '''DD'.'' Double D is a combination of normal freehand and sliding counterweight, where you have two counterweights. One counterweight is tied to the string, the other is free to move. This style is quite similar to sliding counterweight, except the increased weight of the DD counterweight allows different maneuvers not possible with the typically light astro counterweights. Double freehand Also known as '''13A' (5A + 5A + 3A).'' Double freehand is similar to AAA, but each yo-yo has a counterweight attached. It is a difficult style to do due to the fact there are four moving objects to worry about (two yo-yos and two counterweights). It was created by Steve Brown and originally named 13A, but it is sometimes referred to as 10A (5A + 5A). Notable players of this style include Rafael Matsunaga. Go West This is a style of play involving a fully untwisted string loop, much like a much larger version of washing machine. Tricks are created by maneuvering the yo-yo both while inside the string loop, and while off the loop, in a sort of pseudo offstring-1A style. Innovators of this style include Takahiko Hasegawa, Hironori Mii, and Kenji Nishi. Sumo Invented by Doctor Popular around the same time the Japanese were innovating "Go West" style. Sumo stands for Super-Moebius and differs only in that you are playing with an regular yo-yo string that has just been completely untwisted. It differs from Go West because Go West is just a solid loop of string, with no finger knot, and Go West is usually double wrapped around the axle.